Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is opportunistic and takes advantage of wounds and senescent tissues to enter their host. Its symptoms are rather localized on the aerial organs of the tomato, but damage to the crown can sometimes be observed. It manifests itself especially after planting and during cultivation.

This species of Sclerotinia is sometimes responsible for damp, dark brown to brown alterations, sometimes covered with a white cottony felting (figure 1) and large fairly regular black sclerotia (figures 2 and 3). The damage it causes to the neck is quite rare ( Sclerotinia basal stem canker ).

It should be noted that the affected plants, whose stems are well surrounded by a lesion at the neck, end up withering and drying out. This fungus is normally easy to identify because it commonly produces fruiting bodies on damaged tissue. In the absence of these, we suggest that you place samples (portions of altered stems) in a plastic bag containing damp paper, like a paper towel. Under these conditions, gray mold or mycelium and sclerotia will soon appear. The same will apply to the fruiting bodies of the other fungi studied in this section ( Fusarium oxysporum f. Sp. Radicis-lycopersici, Sclerotium rolfsii ...).

For additional information on this fungus, you can consult the sheet Sclerotinia sclerotiorum fact .